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OBITUARY Russell Lynn
Armstrong
Armstrong, Russell Lynn Russell Lynn Armstrong, 47, of California, passed away
August 15, 2011. He was born on December 21, 1963 in Dallas to L.L. Armstrong
and John Ann Anders Hotchkiss. He graduated from Richardson High School and the
University of Hawaii, was a member of the Episcopalian church, and was a venture
capitalist. A memorial service will be held on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 3:00
pm in the Chapel of DeBerry Funeral Directors. Burial will follow at Roselawn
Memorial Park in Denton, TX. Russell is survived by his wife, Taylor Armstrong;
parents, L. Armstrong an John Ann Hotchkiss; daughter, Kennedy Armstrong; sons,
Aiden and Griffin Armstrong; sister, Laurie Armstrong; and grandmother, Jean
Anders of Dallas.
The Dallas Morning News - September 1, 2011
Submitted by Edward Lynn Williams
[ Some references show he graduated from Newman
Smith High, and others show Richardson High. I can not find him in the
Newman Smith Yearbooks ...elw]
OBITUARY
Aug. 24--Just as truth is stranger than fiction, reality can be a lot
harder, uglier and meaner than reality TV. The latest reminder of that came with
the death of Russell Armstrong, estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly
Hills cast member Taylor Armstrong.
Armstrong, who grew up in the Dallas area, was found dead last week; the Los
Angeles coroner subsequently ruled the cause of death as suicide by hanging.
Since then, the entertainment news-and-gossip industry has been buzzing with
anecdotes and sound bites, the bulk of which paint a decidedly unflattering
portrait of the deceased. His estranged wife spoke in several interviews of the
emotional and physical abuse she endured, while his lawyer described a man on
the brink of financial ruin.
But that's just the reality-TV side of the story; on the reality side, there's
at least one other picture. Armstrong, 47, went to elementary and junior high
school in Carrollton and graduated from Newman Smith High School. He also lived
in Richardson for a time.
His family and friends want the world to hear about the Russell Armstrong they
knew.
"He was the exact opposite of how he was portrayed on that show," says Randy
Edwards, Armstrong's friend since they met playing Little League in Carrollton.
"He was the most engaging, hilarious guy, always pulling pranks on his buddies.
He could talk to anybody."
The portrait that's been painted of Armstrong in the tabloid spectacle that has
mushroomed around his death has been especially painful for Armstrong's sister.
Just 18 months his junior, she says she and her brother were inseparable growing
up.
"I followed him around all the time and he never complained. He let me be one of
the boys," says Laurie Armstrong Kelsoe, a former Kim Dawson model and divorced
mother of two living in Denton.
"My favorite memory is my first day of high school -- I was a freshman, he was a
senior. He led me around, showed me the ropes. I was just this freshman peon and
he knew everyone. All the girls just loved him. He took care of me. He was just
such a great brother."
Both she and Edwards have a hard time reconciling the reality-TV character
Armstrong became on the Bravo show and in the media with the real life person
they knew.
Edwards says the show had been bothering Armstrong for some time.
"He'd always say, 'They're making me look like an [expletive],' but he'd always
brush it off and go right back.
"I don't think he wanted to be in it. He did it for Taylor."
Armstrong's sister, who has never watched the show, is trying her best to make
sense of all the craziness.
"I'm not going to say he was perfect. I think he got into that Hollywood
lifestyle, all that excitement and glamour.
"I want all the people who watched the show and are reading all those stories
about what a monster he was to know that he left behind a mom and dad and a
sister and children and nephews and friends who loved him," she said.
"I want them to know that he was funny as heck and fun-loving, that he worked
his butt off to take care of the people who needed him."
The show's producers have said they are re-editing the new season, which
continued to focus on the troubled-marriage story line. Bravo executives also
sent their condolences after Armstrong's death and denied reports that the
conflict was encouraged. The new season is set to return Sept. 5.
A memorial service was to be held in Los Angeles Wednesday. A private funeral
for family and friends will be held Sept. 3 at a Denton cemetery.
08/24/2011 06:41:33 PM EDT -- Dallas Morning News (TX)
The Dallas Morning News Tom Maurstad column
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